Speedbird
The site LeContainer is possibly the best source of stunning mechanised imagery that you’ll find anywhere. This photograph is a great example of their regular faire…
Planes
Mary ‘Hurricane’ Guthrie
Mary Guthrie flew Hurricanes on transport missions during the second world war, although she never saw combat she was widely considered to be a highly capable pilot by all her knew her.
Bomber Boys
WWII documentaries always fascinate me, this film by Ewan MacGregor is a brilliant insight into lives of the Lancaster crews of the war. There is some special significance here for me because my Great Uncle Alf was a bombardier or bomb aimer on the Lancaster during the war, he was one of the lucky ones who survived.
F4U Corsair Barcalounger
The Vought F4U Corsair was an astonishing airplane, I never knew it was this versatile though.
Amelia
This is the greatest picture of Earhart I’ve ever seen, it’s a snapshot of what was and what almost came to pass.
Gee Bee Model R
The Gee Bee Model R is easily one of the most unusual airplanes ever to fly, the stumpy fuselage, tiny wings and huge diameter of the cowling were eye-catching to say the least. The Model R was built by the Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfield, Massachusetts as an air racer, the unusual design was the result of 3 days testing at…
Operation Question Mark
In 1929 some of the first attempts at refuelling planes in flight were being undertaken. This famous photograph of Operation Question Mark shows a 10,000lb Fokker C-2A being refueled in flight by a modified Douglas C-1 transport aircraft.
F86D Dog Sabre R/C
Building huge remotely controlled planes in your garage is perhaps the poster child of ridiculous hobbies, but as with most insane pastimes, it’s very popular and incredibly fun.
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is one of my favourite films of all time. It has it all, Cary Grant, a pretty woman, baddies, trains, planes, cars and intrigue.
BlackHawk ParaKit
There aren’t many airborne hobbies you can get into for under 10 grand, in fact there’s only one that I can think of apart from bridge-based suicide attempts. It’s called Powered Paragliding and as the name suggests, it involves paragliding with power.
Messerschmitt Me 323 D
The Messerschmitt Me 323 D was the single largest fixed-wing aircraft of WWII, this behemoth had a maximum carrying capacity of 20 tonnes, was powered by…
SR-71 Blackbird Cockpit
The SR-71 Blackbird was so incredibly quick, that when it detected a surface to air missile launch, the pilot simply hit the throttle and accelerated to out run the missile, using raw speed as it’s primary defence mechanism.